Welcome to the United Nations
Mohamed Mezghani
Secretary-General
International Association of Public Transport-UITP
Building on the progress made in the quest to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the United Nations’ General Assembly adopted in October 2015 the 2030 Agenda, a concrete action plan which sets the course towards a more sustainable planet. Based on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and associated targets, such an ambitious destination is to be reached only if the journey is shared by a committed world community.
Indeed, the active collaboration of both the private sector and civil society, including the public transport sector, alongside governments and administration, needs to be encouraged to create more resilient and sustainable societies through the SDGs. The High-Level political forum on sustainable development, held in New York in mid-July this year, will review some of these goals in depth.
Among those goals, the 11.2, aims specifically at ‘providing access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, notably by expanding public transport’. This is one of the main challenges our cities have faced in recent years. For too long our urban areas were built to facilitate the use of private cars as the main mode of transport, not taking into account the impacts it could have on citizens and their environment.
Urban dwellers are the first to suffer the consequences of this outdated car-first mentality. It was recently confirmed in a World Health Organisation report that more than 80% of people living in cities are breathing polluted air. As it produces 18% of all man-made emissions with a large part taking place in cities at a growing pace, the transport sector is no stranger to this deterioration of urban environments.
Leading the transition
Urban mobility is at a crossroads. Decision makers can no longer envision the future of transport the way it has been up until a few years ago, prioritising private car ownership over collective, accessible and inclusive transportation. Governments of all levels are coming to the conclusion that the modal share of transport has to be positively inclined towards public transport, walking and cycling if we are to succeed in creating more resilient and sustainable cities.
Citizens need mobility champions to rise to the challenges. As the only network to bring together all sustainable transport modes, the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) has set up a new platform, in collaboration with United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), to support local decision makers in adopting and developing more sustainable transport systems. Inspired by the UITP Declaration on Climate Leadership, the Mobility Champions Community is building on the best practices in terms of deployment of clean vehicles, increased public transport supply, combined and active mobility, as well as energy efficiency to help leaders adopt policies that will bring us ever closer to reaching the SDGs.
Concrete solutions exist and the public transport actors are leading the charge to implement them in their daily activities. In fact, operators, manufacturers and authorities have been at the forefront of sustainable and accessible urban mobility for decades now.
The 2030 Agenda emphasises the importance for all the different stakeholders to be involved in the process. After all, we are sharing the same ride in a long collective journey during which only boldness can help us each time get closer to reaching our targets.
This foresight has driven public transport actors to always push the boundaries of innovation, striving to be more efficient, inclusive and accessible. Whether it was to develop new technologies or help configure new planning, our industry has been a leader in advancing towards more sustainable mobility and the way it is embracing the new digital revolution indicates that the best is still yet to come.
The time has come to take bold measures leading the transition to more accessible zero-emission mobility solutions for all. It has already begun in many cities and regions, but more needs to be done to offer all populations transport solutions that will meet their expectations and needs.
The HLPF 2018 will provide a unique opportunity for all stakeholders to join their expertise, knowledge and determination to review successes, challenges and lessons learned on the journey to achieving the SDGs. The road might be long before 2030, but the commitment of world leaders is needed and they can count on the engagement of public transport actors to help them drive the changes needed to create more sustainable and resilient cities.
